Attention Frequent Travelers: Rule 240 Is Something You Want To Know About…It Just Might Help You Out!
There are lots of things we can count on during the course of a year. Springtime is almost upon us and the baseball season is about to start. Most weeks we will work 5 days, and yes there will be flight delays on airlines on the horizon…in fact…many of them. Yes, some will be weather-related, but others will be because of the airline.
I don’t recall exactly where I found this out but I was reading an article and it mentioned Rule 240. Since I never heard about it I decided to do some research. Basically, Rule 240 deals with the obligations that an airline has to a passenger when his/her flights cancel or delay, or connecting flights are missed due to the actions of the airline.
Years ago, Rule 240 was a U.S. federal requirement prior to airline deregulation in 1978, and has remained in existence since that time. Lots of people who work for the airlines are unaware of Rule 240, as are many passengers.
So what does it really mean? Rule 240 means the airlines owe you something if you are delayed because of:
- Mechanical issues
- Late arrival of an incoming aircraft
- Pilots or other crew that are not at the aircraft on time
What the airline can give you is:
- Meal Vouchers
- Confirmation on the airline’s next flight
- Option not to travel
- Hotel
- Ground Transportation
Typically I just try to be nice, in fact very nice, when I am delayed or my flight is cancelled. I have been known to beg and promise anything within reason if someone would help me out. Now it is nice to know I have something else to bring up. On my next few flights I will be asking the counter staff at American Airlines about this rule.
- Does it really work?
- What do you need to say?
Hopefully this has just made traveling a little easier at least once in awhile.
- Has anyone heard of this rule?
- Have you used it?
I look forward to your comments.
April 11th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Merrill told me about rule 240 a few months ago and I used it on a recent trip to Ft. Myers, Florida. I was on the aircraft and they cancelled the flight because of mechanical problems. I was with my 12 year old son who at 6AM doesn’t move very fast and he was taking FOREVER to get his stuff together and get off the airplane. So, needless to say we were the last people off the airplane.
I called the 800 number instead of standing in line (tip #1). They were able to give me options; however, none were very good. Then a light bulb went off in my head and I remembered the advice Merrill had given me!! I was drippy sweet to the girl (tip #2) thanking her for her help (blah, blah, blah) and then asked her if I could invoke rule 240 (tip #3). VERY NICELY she said, hold on a minute. Within 5 minutes I was booked on another airlines and I was sitting patiently in the waiting area. The rest of the people that were on the aircraft were STILL standing in line waiting.
Rule 240 WORKS!!! Thanks Merrill!
April 11th, 2008 at 9:33 am
I wonder how many American Airline passengers invoked Rule 240 this week.
April 11th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Colleen,
I am SO happy that the rule worked. I asked 2 people at the airport last week about the rule and they had never heard of it.
Ed,
I am very happy I didn’t fly anywhere this week.
Merrill
April 14th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Merrill:
Thanks for the great tip. I’ll keep this one handy and use it next time. (And we all know that there WILL be a next time.)
Michelle
April 14th, 2008 at 10:15 am
I used to teach Travel Law as part of a Travel & Tourism course….and
so taught the Rule 240 back then. That piece of paper you print out as your Boarding Pass is their legal contract to provide you with air transportation.
Rule 240 provides you with recourse should they not hold up their legal obligation.
Another good tip surrounds hotels - if they “walk you” because their hotel is full, and want to move you to another hotel. Their obligation is a) a free phone call b) to move you to a hotel of equal or better value and c) free transportation to get you to the new hotel. The temptation is to put you in a cheaper hotel. I’ll do some research to find out the name of that “rule”.
April 14th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I forwarded this to a colleague, and he replied that Rule 240 is not necessarily in effect. It used to be a law, but is now optional and differs according to the airline.
Go to
http://consumerist.com/consumer/rule-240/dont-fly-without-a-copy-of-rule-240-250368.php
and check out the list of airlines.
Happy flying…
Steve
April 14th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Steve,
Thanks for your comment and sharing the article. I will certainly check it out and hope others do the same.
Merrill
April 15th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Steve is right - I had remembered reading this article on cnn.com last month and just found it again:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/traveltips/03/12/rule.240/
Basically, every airline has a “rule 240″ but they’re not the same.
Happy reading.
April 15th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I was one of the people with a canceled flight during the first round of American Airline cancellations. My two-night trip to Chicago out of a nearby airport turned into a 20-hour turnaround out of a more distant airport, but darn it, they got me there and back. Looking at the Rule 240 article, I saw the following:
1.American Airlines must confirm you on their next flight (on which space is available) at no additional cost.
2.If there is an alternate American Airlines flight that will arrive at your destination earlier than the alternate you have been offered, you have the right to be confirmed on this American Airlines flight at no additional cost, even if first class space is all that is available.
3.If the alternate American Airlines flight is not acceptable to you, you have the right to be confirmed on the flight of a different airline at no additional cost.
American totally followed all of this with me. Not only did they rebook both my outgoing and return flights, but when I arrived at LAX for the trip out, I found myself in First Class. The phone agent had mentioned that there was “one seat left” out of LAX that day, and apparently this was the one. However, I feel “lucky” that it all worked out without hassle, and will keep this Rule 240 with me from now on.
Thanks for the tip!!
April 16th, 2008 at 6:30 am
Danielle,
Glad to hear American Airlines followed the rules and helped you out. And you sat in first class!
It certainly makes traveling much easier when things work out.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Merrill
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:05 am
Good morning.
Below is some additional information about your rights and the story mentions rule 240:
By Barbara De Lollis, USA TODAY
If there was ever a time when airline passengers wished they had a secret weapon in case the carrier leaves them stranded, it’s now.
Fliers could see more disruptions, similar to those experienced by more than 300,000 people on American Airlines two weeks ago, as the Federal Aviation Administration finishes a second phase of maintenance records audits through June 30. United, Delta and Southwest have also grounded planes within the past month.
Rule 240 supposedly offers fliers a remedy. When invoked, the rule is believed to make ticket agents automatically rebook a stranded passenger on another flight — even on another airline.
STRANDED: What some airlines say they’ll do for you in their contract
But it’s more complicated than that, say travel agents, travel law experts, frequent fliers and airline officials.
While veteran airline agents usually know the term, mentioning Rule 240 by itself won’t “produce any effect whatsoever,” says Tim Wagner, spokesman for American Airlines. “That’s an urban legend.”
But it’s one grounded in fact: Before 1978, when airlines were government-regulated, there really was a Rule 240 that required airlines to put a passenger on another flight or another airline if they were to blame for a delayed or canceled flight.
After deregulation in 1978, each airline was responsible for coming up with its own policies for customers affected by delays and cancellations. These are spelled out within their contract of carriage, which some airlines still refer to as Rule 240, says Al Anolik, San Francisco-based travel lawyer.
It’s good to know an airline’s policy, as carriers are not always eager to lose revenue by putting passengers on other airlines, Anolik says. The provisions also tell passengers what they’re entitled to if they’re stranded overnight, such as a hotel stay, ground transportation and food.
When American faced thousands of stranded passengers, agents turned to the fine print in its ticket contract, Wagner says.
The cancellations cost American around $75 million, with much of the cost coming from giving stranded travelers vouchers for hotels, meals and ground transportation or forgoing revenue to put them on other airlines — all provisions of its ticket contract.
Anolik advises travelers to read their ticket contract, which can usually be found on the airline’s website by searching for its contract of carriage. He also urges them to travel with the document, either by printing it or storing it on their BlackBerry or PalmPilot.
“When the carrier specifically puts it into the contract of carriage, you have those rights,” Anolik says.
The ticket contracts have a few other quirks worth knowing:
•Promises vary by airline. Language in Delta’s ticket contract, for instance, says that it may arrange to fly a traveler on another airline “at our sole discretion.” Continental’s ticket contract says that it will do so “at the passenger’s request.” The major airlines usually note that they won’t fly passengers on airlines they don’t have inter-line agreements with, such as Southwest.
•Provisions can change at any time. United and Delta, for instance, updated their contracts of carriage since March 27. Continental’s document is dated March 10.
•Know when you’re not protected. Airlines promise to put you on another flight or refund your money only under certain circumstances, such as the safety reinspections. The list of exceptions has grown beyond the typical weather, war and riots to include strikes, work slowdowns, labor shortages and fuel shortages.
Most frequent fliers say they know Rule 240 is no great fix.
“It’s a waste of time,” says Sammy Tawil of Allenhurst, N.J., who invoked Rule 240 last fall with American. “They gave me a bunch of stories and kept passing the buck to other agents and supervisors.”
Twice in the last two years, frequent flier Jay Hibbard of Portland, Maine, says he invoked it but “got a blank look from the agent.” His advice to get the best service: “Be an elite-level member, and get on the phone or go into the club where the agents are still schooled in customer service.”
Frequent flier Jonathan Blue of Louisville, however, says he uses the concept frequently. If facing a canceled flight and some resistance from the agent to switch him to another airline’s flight, he politely brings up the airline’s contract and asks specifically for what he wants. He says he usually doesn’t have trouble at that point.
Airline ticket contracts generally allow for a transfer to another airline that they have an agreement with if that airline can get you to your destination before they can.
“You have to assert your right; otherwise, it’s never volunteered, because airlines don’t want to fly you on other carriers,” Blue says. “They’d rather have you fly out on their later flight.”
Will Lockwood of Redding, Calif., says he always travels with his airline’s ticket contract in case he talks to an agent who seems to not know the rules. What also helps is knowing what your alternate flights are when talking to the agent, he says.
“There have been times where I have been told there aren’t any options, and then I have pulled out some flights,” he says. “The attendant ended up giving me those flights.”
The best advice of all?
Be nice, Lockwood says. “The ticket agents are getting blasted by everyone when there are delays, so when you walk up and are really nice to them, they seem more willing to make sure you get to where you need to go.”
Stuck in the airport because the airline canceled your flight?
Here’s what some airlines say they’ll do for you in their contract:
American
says it will put you on its next flight with available seats. If it doesn’t get you to your destination the same day, it will provide lodging “subject to availability.”
Delta
says it will fly you on the next flight that has a same-class seat available; flights on other carriers are booked at its discretion. If you paid for business class but only a coach seat is available, you can get a partial refund. If the next seat available is in business class, and you paid for coach, Delta can put you in coach and upgrade a frequent flier.
If your flight is delayed for more than four hours, Delta will give you vouchers for meals. If you’re stuck between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., Delta will give you vouchers for a hotel —if there’s room at ones they work with — and ground transportation.
Continental
says it will fly you in premium class, if that’s all that’s available on the next flight out and it gets you there earlier than the next flight with a coach seat. If you’re delayed more than two hours, it will switch you to another airline — if you request it.
If you’re stuck for more than four hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., Continental will provide a hotel and a second meal. It will provide food if the delay “will extend beyond normal meal hours.”
United
says it will fly you on the next flight in the same class of service. If it can’t arrange transportation “that’s acceptable to the passenger,” it will fly you out on another airline in the same class of service.
If you paid for premium class and the only seat available is in coach, United will refund you the difference.
If you’re stuck more than four hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., United says, it will provide lodging.
Northwest
says it will fly you on the next flight in the same class of service or higher if that’s all that’s available; if it can’t, it will put you on another airline in the same class. If you paid for a premium seat and there’s room only in economy, you’re entitled to a partial refund.
If you’re stranded overnight, Northwest “will make every effort” to provide lodging and a voucher for meals.
US Airways
says it will fly you out on another of its flights; if it can’t, it may fly you out on another airline.
If you’re stranded overnight, US Airways says it will put you up in a hotel, provide ground transportation and give you breakfast. If you’re delayed for four hours or more during meal times, you can get food vouchers.